Money, wealth, and economic life have always been subjects of intense religious concern — because every tradition understands that how resources are generated and distributed reflects and shapes the character of the people and communities involved. The Christian tithe, the Islamic zakat, the Jewish tzedakah, the Buddhist dana, the indigenous gift economy: all are practices that interrupt the logic of pure accumulation and redirect it toward community, toward the poor, toward the sacred. The prosperity gospel — the teaching that financial blessing is a sign of divine favor — represents a radical departure from this ancient consensus, and its examination opens deep questions about the relationship between spiritual and material flourishing.
Rumi